26. Chapter Twenty-six
Ethan got in his truck and drove over to Katie’s to pick her up for church. When he’d gone over to measure for shelves two nights ago, something still seemed to weigh on her mind. He’d debated asking her about it again but didn’t want to overstep and stick his nose into her private business. She would have said something if she’d wanted to talk about it. Tonight, however, her smile was free of whatever bothered her.
“Ready for this?”
She finished buckling her seatbelt and looked over at him. “I think so. I’ll be honest, besides your nieces and nephews, I have little experience with kids, especially teenagers.”
Ethan turned the truck around to pull out of the driveway. “You’ll do fine. All you have to do is give stern looks to anyone who isn’t paying attention.”
Katie’s laugh filled the cab. “I’m not sure my stern look is all that intimidating. Especially since I bet I’m shorter than half your class.”
He chuckled. She was probably right. She’d just look adorable. He shook the thought away.
“So, you’ll never guess what I found while going through one of the cabinets in the living room today.” Her voice rang happily.
“What did you find?”
“Grandma’s old VHS movies, including The Rescuers.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It still has its old plastic case.”
He hadn’t seen one of those in ages and wondered what Mom had done with all of theirs since switching to DVDs. “I bet that was a blast from the past. I keep forgetting to ask Joel if the kids have watched it.”
They talked about old movies the rest of the way to church. When they arrived, he got out and pulled his guitar from behind the seat before meeting Katie at the front of the truck.
“So you play your guitar for the kids?” she asked as they crossed the parking lot.
“Of course. Music soothes the savage beast.”
She smirked. “What lesson are you teaching them tonight?”
“The last few weeks have been about trusting God’s protection and plans. I’m going to tell the Rib Mountain story tonight so you can hear it in all its glorious detail.”
“I’m sure Joel would love to know that.”
Inside, Ethan led her downstairs to one of the larger classrooms. Since they were early, none of the kids had arrived yet, but it didn’t take long before the sound of pounding feet and competing voices signaled their approach. When everyone was present and seated, Ethan introduced Katie and started the night with prayer.
Once they settled into the lesson, he enjoyed finding ways to get her involved. She seemed happy to participate, and he couldn’t help but imagine how much he would enjoy it if they did youth group together every week. If only things were different.
He enjoyed it so much that the evening flew by faster than usual. Before he knew it, it was time to wrap things up. Setting his guitar aside after a rousing rendition of In Christ Alone, he looked over the full class.
“Does anyone have any questions before we end tonight?”
One of the fourteen-year-old girls in the center row shot her hand up.
“Yes, Laura?”
“Is Katie your girlfriend?” She and her friends giggled.
He should have seen that one coming. Ethan shook his head. “Miss Katie is not my girlfriend. She’s my best friend.”
A few more giggles erupted, though murmurs of obvious disappointment mingled with them. He glanced at Katie, who wore an amused smile.
“Contrary to popular belief, guys and girls can be friends without involving romance.” Considering his true feelings toward her, he wondered if that statement was a bit hypocritical. But they were friends, and there wasn’t romance involved, so the statement was technically true.
Before he could engage in any further internal debate, one boy raised his hand, and Ethan had a sinking feeling the matter wasn’t yet settled. He braced himself.
“Yes, Derek?”
“Do you wish Miss Katie was your girlfriend?”
Ethan gave him a tight smile. He didn’t typically want to strangle any of the kids in youth group, but tonight was proving to be an exception. He didn’t dare glance at Katie this time, afraid of the truth being present on his face. Keeping his voice as light and casual as possible, he addressed the question. “Like I said, she’s my friend. We’ve been friends since we were much younger than all of you. Let’s leave the conversation at that and get back to our lesson for the night. Are there any questions about what we learned?”
A couple of the kids groaned, but no one raised a hand.
“All right then, you’re all dismissed.” And the sooner, the better. Best to get them on their way before any other probing questions popped out and dug him into an even deeper hole.
With a chaotic scramble, everyone jumped up to leave at once. Some paused to say goodbye to Ethan and Katie on the way out, though most were already conversing with their friends. In just moments, the room emptied, and a hush fell. He cleared his throat and turned to Katie. Amusement still played on her face.
“Inquisitive crowd.”
Ethan forced what he hoped was a casual laugh. “Yeah. Who knew eighth and ninth graders would be so concerned about my love life? Sorry if they embarrassed you.”
“No, I thought it was funny.”
“I guess that’s what you get from a group of teenagers.” He could only pray that none of them would find themselves in a situation as complicated as his, and not for a few years at least.
Katie just laughed and shook her head. To Ethan’s relief, that seemed to be the end of it, and the kids’ inquisition hadn’t revealed his true feelings. He packed up his guitar, and the two of them headed upstairs to mingle with the rest of the congregation. Here, they got pulled into separate conversations.
Ethan talked with Adam and a couple of the other single men for a while, but when it started getting late, he excused himself. Crossing the auditorium toward Katie and the rest of his family, he turned to say hello to one of the deacons and nearly ran into someone.
“Oh, sorry.” The woman looked up at him, and uncertainty jabbed him in the stomach. “Anna, hi.”
She was a little taller than Katie but more blonde than brunette, especially since it looked like she’d recently gotten highlights. They’d barely talked since he’d ended the relationship, not that he could blame her for wanting nothing to do with him. He’d undoubtedly broken her heart, even though that was the last thing he wanted. Because of this, he struggled for words beyond the awkward greeting.
She, however, offered a smile free of any lingering hurt or hard feelings. He was thankful for that. She had a lot of family here at church. Breaking up with her hadn’t made him the most popular person in the congregation. Though her brothers and extended family hadn’t exactly shunned him, the air between them had been frosty for a while. But if she, at least, had forgiven him, he was glad. And he couldn’t blame her family for being protective.
“Ethan, how are you?”
“Good. You?”
“Very good.” She rested a hand on her belly. “We just announced to the family yesterday that David and I are expecting.”
“Really?” He had to admit it felt a little strange to know she was pregnant. After all, for a while, he’d thought they would get married and have a family someday, but he couldn’t be happier considering how hard the breakup was. “Congratulations.”
Anna’s smile radiated contentment, though it faded to a more understanding look. “Listen, I know we never discussed what happened, but I don’t want you to think I’m still upset. Obviously, I’m happy with how things have turned out, and I’m glad you were honest with me.”
The lingering guilt and uncertainty over how he had handled things eased up. “I’m still sorry I dragged it out as long as I did. I should have told you much sooner.”
“I’m sure it was a difficult decision for you.” Something in her expression changed, the hint of a knowing smile on her lips. “She’s the one, isn’t she?”
He frowned. What was up with the questions tonight? “What?”
“When you broke up with me, I asked if there was someone else. You said there was a memory you couldn’t get past. That memory was Katie, right?”
He hesitated. It was almost as if everyone was secretly conspiring against him tonight, but he owed her the truth after all this time. “Yes…but we’re just friends.” He struggled not to let the true magnitude of his disappointment come through. “She’s with someone else.”
Something like pity filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I hope it works out, whatever that looks like.”
Ethan forced a smile to his face. “I’m just glad to have her back as my friend.”
And he was. But there was also more to it than that.
They traded goodbyes then, and Ethan wound his way through the crowd, though he slowed before reaching Katie and his family. He needed to wrangle his emotions back into submission before joining them. He’d been trying so hard lately to lay aside his feelings, but they just kept confronting him at every turn. And the way things were going, it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew how he felt except for Katie. It was a dangerous position to be in.
He drew a deep breath and smiled as he stepped up beside her, keeping space between them. It sounded like his family had just finalized plans for Father’s Day this weekend, but now everyone was focused on him. An awkward pause followed, and he latched onto the first thing he could think of that would prevent anyone from scrutinizing him too closely.
“Joel, I’ve been meaning to ask, have the kids seen The Rescuers?”
His brother glanced at Naomi. “I don’t think so.”
“Dude, what have you been teaching them? You have them watching stuff like Paw Patrol when there are greater heroes like Miss Bianca and Mister Bernard.”
Charlie, who stood between Joel and Naomi with Emma, screwed up her face. “Who are Miss Bianca and Mister Bernard?”
Ethan gave Joel his most disappointed look and shook his head. “Shame.”
Bantering with his brother was a lot better than fighting his rebellious emotions.
Joel shook his head with a look of mild exasperation. “I guess I’ll have to see that they’re properly educated.”
“We need a movie night. All of us, down in the den. We’ll show the kids what they’ve been missing.”
Mom’s face lit up at the suggestion. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. Maybe we can talk about doing it on Friday.”
Everyone agreed, though Joel sent Naomi a questioning look.
“You don’t think the movies are too scary for them, do you?”
She shrugged. “We all watched them at their age.”
“I suppose.” Joel turned back to Ethan. “But just know I’m calling you if someone can’t sleep afterward.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come over and hold your hand.”
This drew a laugh, and Ethan let himself relax.
A couple of minutes later, everyone said their goodbyes and headed out. On the way to the truck, Katie nudged him.
“Did you look up the character names after we talked about The Rescuers?”
Ethan couldn’t hide a grin. “I may have.”
It had, after all, been many years since he’d seen the movie. Of course, he’d needed to refresh his memory.
Despite the awkward interactions at church, a comfortable peace settled as they climbed into the cab of his truck and started home. They talked and laughed on the short drive, and Ethan could have happily enjoyed driving on for several more miles. However, it wasn’t long before they pulled into her driveway.
An invisible rock thumped him in the chest. Illuminated by the headlights, an orange cat lay unmoving in the gravel a few yards from the cottage. He heard Katie gasp.
“No! He’s supposed to be inside!”
She reached for the door handle as he stopped the truck, but he grabbed her arm. “Stay here.”
He didn’t want her to see the cat if it was mangled or suffering. With dread building, he got out of the truck. How on earth had O’Malley ended up outside, and what could have happened to him?
He braced himself as he approached the still cat and then released a huge breath. The cat had white paws. He hurried back to the truck.
“It’s not him.”
Katie’s gaze latched onto him, tears already glinting on her cheeks. “What?”
“It’s not O’Malley. Go inside and check.”
She scrambled out of the truck and rushed up to the porch. Ethan dug behind his seat and found an old t-shirt he used as a rag. He then walked back over to the cat. What were the chances of another orange tabby hanging around and dying right in front of Katie’s cottage? It didn’t add up. He nudged the cat with his boot. It was stiff. Way too stiff to have just died here while they were at church. He frowned. That didn’t make any sense. The only explanation churned up his stomach.
He covered the cat with the rag to hide the gruesome sight until he could take care of it. After turning off his truck, he walked to the cottage and let himself inside. In the living room, he found Katie sitting by the couch. She cuddled a purring O’Malley as she cried softly. Though he’d known the cat outside wasn’t hers, seeing O’Malley alive and well was a relief. It would have gutted him for Katie to bear the loss.
He knelt beside them and scratched O’Malley’s head. “That cat out there has been dead a while. At least a full day.”
Katie swiped one hand across her cheeks, her brows sinking. “But then, how did it get there?”
“Someone had to put it there.” It was the only plausible explanation other than an eagle or owl having dropped it. But an eagle or owl kill would have been fresh.
The furrows in Katie’s forehead deepened just before her eyes widened in horror. “Christopher. It has to be. That’s just the sort of sick and twisted thing he would do.”